Rage
by SomniumArtifex
Summary: Paul is losing control again. His once steady lifestyle is falling to pieces around him and he cannot stop it. When a stranger turns up he sees it as an opportunity to vent his rage without hurting his brothers. Will Sam regret letting Gabriella stay or is she the key to answers that they all desperately want? Re-write of Two Halves.
1. Snowy River Mail

_**Author's Note:  
This Chapter is kind of a supplementary background chapter. Everything mentioned in this chapter will be iterated in later chapters. The main story starts in Chapter 2: Unlucky.  
In other words, you DON'T have to read this chapter.**_

**SNOWY RIVER MAIL**

**Sunday, December 17th 2006**

Every girl dreams of having the perfect sweet sixteenth; the presents, the party, the memories. But for one young girl in nearby Wilcania, her dream birthday became a nightmare when she witnessed a brutal attack on her mother.

Early on the morning of the 16th, Gabriella Butler awoke to the sounds of her mother, father and sister singing Happy Birthday. Not an hour later her mother, Freyja Butler, 37, was being airlifted to Sydney's Westmead Hospital with deep lacerations to her face and severe head trauma after being mauled by a large dog.

Freyja Butler is in critical condition and doctors say they will not know the extent of the damage until she awakes from her coma.

The small farming town of Wilcania has banded together in the wake of the horror attack to assist the family in a familiar display of rural hospitality and togetherness. And have organised a hunting party to find the dog that was responsible for the attack. The animal in question is yet to be located.

**SNOWY RIVER MAIL**

**Thursday, December 21st 2006**

The town of Wilcania is in mourning today with the unfortunate passing of Freyja Butler, 37.

Five days ago, on December 16th, Freyja Butler was viciously mauled by a stray Rottweiler while setting up for her daughter's sweet sixteenth. She was promptly flown to Westmead Hospital suffering from severe head trauma and major blood loss. Yesterday, after spending four days on life support, Butler succumbed to her injuries without having regained consciousness.

Butler was born Freyja Odegaard in Rauland, Norway, 230 kilometres west of Oslo, on June 21st, 1969. Her parents were farmers and they embraced her relationship with Australian born Ewan Butler when the couple declared their love for one another in front of the entire Odegaard family. The two were wedded in a small ceremony in Norway on August 2nd 1986 when Freyja was just seventeen. The young lovers moved to Butler's home town of Wilcania just three months later.

In November of 1986, when Freyja announced her first pregnancy, her Norwegian family sold their small farm and made the move to be closer to their daughter. Mrs Butler's younger brother, Niklas Odeegard, 35, came with his parents and met and married Georgette Butler, 38, Ewan's youngest sister. Unfortunately, this first pregnancy would end in horror after a road accident caused the spontaneous abortion of the couple's unborn child.

The shock loss of their first unborn child would not be the last grief to visit the family. In 1988 word was sent from Norway that the Odegaard's two oldest sons perished in an avalanche. Freyja Butler, having been told she'd never fall pregnant again, soon fell into a deep depression that lasted for more than two years. With the announcement of her second pregnancy things seemed to improve for the young immigrant, but after the birth of her first daughter she was overwhelmed by postnatal depression.

After years of work and dedication to her family, Mrs Butler was able to pull herself out of the rut that depression had put her in and pulled her family together in a move that many in the town called miraculous.

Freyja Butler has left behind two daughters, Gabriella, 16, and Jillian, 13; who must now also come to terms with the equally shocking loss of their father, Ewan Butler.

Local born, Ewan Butler's went missing Sunday evening and has not been seen since by any of his family or friends. Police have cordoned off a section of beach this morning after the discovery of human remains at the base of the cliff. It is believed that these are the remains of Ewan Butler who is rumoured to have been portraying suicidal behaviours in the hours before his disappearance and some claim that he sent 'Goodbye Letters' to his daughters.

Gabriella Butler has moved in with Lloyd Butler Jnr, 44, her uncle on her father's side, who is no stranger to grief after the loss of his wife almost one year ago to the date. Jillian Butler is residing with her grandparents, Lloyd Butler Snr and Ruth Butler.

The wishes and prayers of everyone at the Snowy River Mail go out to the entire Odegaard-Butler family at this hour, in particular to Ewan and Freyja's young daughters.

**SUNDAY HERALD SUN**

**Sunday, December 31st 2006**

Horror has struck the small town of Wilcania, again.

Wilcania, population 129, is a small farming town to the north of Orbost in Eastern Victoria. Over the last one hundred years it has been the home to a select group of families, who have built an almost entirely self contained community since the town's founding in 1881. The only service they require from neighbouring towns being government schools.

This typical rural Australian town has been plagued with more than its share of disasters over the last month.

On the 16th of this month, young mother of two, Freyja Butler, 37, was mauled by a large Rottweiler on the morning of her eldest daughters sixteenth birthday. She passed away in hospital just four days later because of the head wounds suffered from the aggressive mastiff. Her funeral was held in the town's church on the 22nd, the day after her passing.

The day after her attack, her husband, Ewan Butler, 41, disappeared. A funeral was held for Mr Butler on the 23rd after the positive identification of remains found along the coast.

'We estimate that a total of three litres of blood were found at the scene on Wednesday evening,' said State Coroner Andrew Fast, 'while no body parts were present there was a high degree of evidence pointing to scavenging from birds and wild dogs.'

The young couple left behind two teenage daughters, who have since been placed in the custody of their remaining family.

But this was not the end of the terror that would befall the township of Wilcania.

At around 4a.m. on Christmas Day the Orbost Police Department received a horrifying phone call from a terrified teenager, claiming that a group of men had come into town and started vandalising houses. The simple vandalism quickly escalated to an all out attack, perpetrated not by teenage vandals as police believed them to be but by numerous armed adults.

'In my twenty years as a police officer, I have never seen anything like it.' Police Sergeant Wallace stated at a very emotional press conference today, 'The whole town was in ruins. Buildings were not just vandalised but half destroyed. There were bodies littering the streets and hanging half out of doors and windows. It was like walking into a warzone.

'The Armed Forces have since been brought in to assist with the clean up but we hold no hope for finding anymore survivors.'

Of the town's original 129 occupants just six have been found alive, four of whom are below the age of seven years and have yet to utter a word to the authorities. Child trauma experts and advocates have been flown in to assist in the immediate care of the young children.

All four children and both teenagers have lost their entire families. One of the survivors is Randalph Odegaard-Butler, who over the last week witnessed the fatal mauling of his aunt and attended not just her funeral but his uncle's as well. It was noted that he held the hand of his young cousin, Jillian Butler, 13, and assisted her in leaving the church as she was too distraught to walk herself.

Jillian Butler's body was found amongst the piled remains of the rest of her extended family, which included the bodies of her two year old cousin and 64 year old grandmother. Cadaver dogs are scouring the township in search of bodies hidden by the rubble, as there are several people still missing including Stephen Hughes, 82; Mariah King, 61; Gabriella Butler, 16; and Violet Hughes, who at the time of the attack was just nine weeks old.

General Cosgrove announced today at a separate press conference that there would be no attempt made to rebuild the town as the damage was too severe and 'the ground has been tainted by an unspeakable evil'.

There has been a call from the neighbouring towns that the area should be declared Crown Land and the site left as a tribute to those that were lost in the horror night of December 24th.

The Army and the Government have denied suggestions that there was any political motivation to the attack. Stating that Wilcania was a simple farming town with no greater significance than high-quality wool production. This is of little consolation to the six survivors who lost their loved ones on a night when they should have been celebrating.

The six survivors, Randalph Odegaard-Butler, 19; Rhys Davidson, 15; Josh Lowell, 7; Mitchell Ryan, 6; Maria D'Onofrio, 6; and Xavion Azarola, 4; are currently in the care of the State but a family member of Davidson has stepped forward and is willing to take custody of the six unfortunate children.

A fund has been started for the children and people around the state are encouraged to donate.

'These children have been through more in the last week then most of us will have to endure in a life time,' Dr Anna White, PhD, explained today, 'And we at the Centre for Adolescent Mental Health are determined to help them through this nightmare. We hope that the state can open their hearts and donate to enable them to have the life that we would all hope our children would get if they were in these kids shoes.'

**The Warrior Informant Daily Vlog #212**

**Tuesday, January 16th 2007**

_Comparative photos taken of the Wilcania town before and after the 'Wilcania Massacre' cycle across the screen. A deep male voice booms._

"The photos that you are seeing are not photoshopped. And they are not from a war torn country on the other side of the world. These photos were taken in Australia, in fact they are of a town in my home state of Victoria, a town that is locate a mere 200 kilometres from where I live.

"It is like something from a horror movie. The body count reached 118 and that is not including the three individuals that are still missing or the married couple that died under suspicious circumstances in the week prior to the Massacre.

"And the Government expects us to believe that it was orchestrated and committed by a faction of men that had a bad relationship with several of the town's prominent families. To this I have to question, 'how stupid do they think we are'?"

_The face of a young girl showed on the screen, she was standing with her arm around a tall young man and beaming at the camera, _"This is Gabriella Butler and her cousin, Randalph Odegaard-Butler. Randalph was found, concussed and delirious on Christmas morning, while Gabriella hasn't been seen since days before the attack."

_Photos of the Butler family start to flash on the screen,_ "Gabriella's mother was supposedly attacked by a dog on Gabriella's birthday and died several days later in hospital. Her father then went missing and although his body wasn't found there were copious amounts of his blood found at the base of some cliffs.

"One of the survivors, Rhys Davidson, has been reported as saying that Gabriella was acting suspiciously in the days before the attack on her mother and Randalph has refused to say anything since the incident.

"I'm not a sheep. I can read between the lines and the story that I get is far from the picture painted by the authorities. There are just too many coincidences to occur in such close proximity of one another. There is definitely something that the Government doesn't want to tell us.

"For years there have been rumours of highly secretive experiments occurring in the town of Wilcania. And it's tradition for people born there to die there far outweighs the average for most country towns. Even more curiously is the simple fact that people do not simply move into Wilcania. Not a single person has immigrated into the town without first marrying into one of the town's families.

"It is clear that the Government is up to something and I am sure that I know what it is. They are selectively breeding the perfect soldier in the town of Wilcania. And if you think that I'm crazy for thinking it then that is exactly why it isn't crazy.

"The life expectancy of the residents of Wilcania, prior to the Massacre, was ten years higher than the rest of the state. And the teenagers have long been known around the area to be the tallest and fittest, so much so that they are no longer allowed to compete in the regional football league. This is not only due to their unmatchable physical prowess but also to the immense strength they show and the markedly reduced self control.

"Every town within 200 kilometres of Wilcania has its horror story of one of their young men getting into an altercation with a Wilcanian youth and coming out second best. Stories of single punches that have fractured skulls and hard shoves that have dislocated joints are common. And I also know of one man who suffered a shattered patella and broken femur and hip when he was kicked by Ewan Butler, the man who is believed to have committed suicide just under a month ago.

"The survivors of the Massacre, two of which fall into the category of the Wilcanian Super Soldier, were reported as being adopted by a relative of Rhys Davidson, one of the Super Soldiers. This is unlikely as there are no records of Mr Davidson having any relatives that survived the Massacre. The article in the Herald Sun stated that he had no living relatives and yet went on to claim a relative was taking custody of Mr Davidson and the five other survivors.

"Which is it SHS? He can't be the sole surviving member of her family and living with a relative. I instantly smelt something fishy.

"Adding to the suspicious events is the disappearance of Gabriella Butler. There is no evidence that Miss Butler died during the attack and Mr Davidson himself seems to be pointing the finger at the sixteen year old. The Government has made no attempts to explain away her disappearance and I believe this is the most telling thing of all.

"Gabriella Orabelle Butler, known as Gob to her close friends and family, seems to be the key to all of this.

"Miss Butler is the first female to show symptoms of being a Super Soldier. She was a chubby child but at eleven years of age she lost a lot of weight and started to grow like a weed. At just sixteen years of age, Miss Butler was six foot tall and weighed almost ninety kilograms, the extra weight coming from muscle rather than fat. She was suspended three days before her sixteenth birthday for fighting, when she punched and knocked out a fellow Wilcanian Super Soldier. A feat that no other man has ever managed.

"In the last few months Miss Butler seemed to show that she'd inherited her father's anger. Ewan Butler was notorious for losing his cool and attacking grown men and inanimate objects, and seeing as they were both exceptionally tall and muscular, they were highly dangerous individuals.

"I believe that what we saw was the result of Miss Butler's anger and what we are now being told is the Government's feeble attempt to cover up their dangerous manipulation of the human genome.

"We have a right to know the truth about what happened in Wilcania and you can bet that the decision to not allow cleanup crews into the town was more to protect their secrets then to preserve the memory of the townspeople.

"This is not the end, believe you me, this is not the end. Not unless we speak up, we make our voices heard so that we never again have to witness the horror that we saw in the last weeks of 2006."

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Simply put, what do you think?**_

_**Okay, so I've decided to rewrite Two Halves because I tried to reread it recently and I really didn't like what I was reading. I think I should have taken more time and care with writing it because I, personally, like the story line and the character of Gabriella, so I'm going to rewind and try again.**_

_**If you've read Two Halves then there probably isn't any reason to read this one because the storyline will be the same, and the changes will be mainly in how it is written.**_

_**I will be continuing Clouded by Instinct and will do the occasional update of my two other stories.**_

_**So, what do you think?**_


	2. Unlucky

The fog lay thick around the green undergrowth and singlehandedly rendered eyes useless. Any animal shorter than six foot may as well have been born blind as the dense mist swirled around their heads. Life was slow when the clouds clung to the soil like this, enticed out by the cover from predators but innately scared by the dampening of their senses. Dew gathered not only on the bright green leaves of the underbrush but on the fur and skin of the animals brave enough to venture into the billowy white world reminiscent of a dream.

Dull morning light filtered in through the clustered trees and danced around the trembling ferns. Shafts of ivory light pierced the blanket of fog and painted tiny rainbows in the icy droplets that teetered at the edges of leaves. The cautious movements of the smallest mammals set the leaves quivering and the beads of water flying to the moss coated forest floor, creating fine rivulets of pure water.

A chirping screech sounded amongst the canopy. Hidden from sight, a pair of osprey soared between the swaying tree tops. A small mouse paused in its hurried journey across the misty forest floor, fear evident in the way it stopped mid-step as if caught in a three dimensional photo. After a few frozen moments the screech sounded again, further away this time, and the mouse didn't hesitate to move on.

I watched the mouse as its dark shadow disappeared into the glittering mist. My tail was draped over my nose to insulate the heat sensitive organ from the icy grip off the morning fog. I was grateful for the thick fur that made up my pale coat; even though I was damp with the night's watery remnants, I was warm and had been since the sun had set yesterday.

Despite the warmth that I felt, my legs were stiff as I stood up and shook the water from my fur. I could feel the thick air as it tried to resist the flow of my long fur. My muscles yearned to rid themselves of the dreary feeling of sleep and I dropped my chest to the moist forest floor to stretch my legs. With a yawn I reached my head up to inspect what little of my surroundings I could see.

My mind was set on getting out of the fog, so I wasn't concerned with how many animals I spooked with my blatant movements. Once I was away from the lifeless mist I would turn my attention to satiating the emptiness between my lower ribs. It had been almost four days since I'd eaten and the thought of gorging myself again had me salivating in a rather undignified way.

The dense cloud cover thinned as it approached the gentle river and I decided that this was as good a place as any to start my hunt. But first things first, I leant down to lap at the river's icy water. My tongue prickled as the frigid liquid encased it and dribbled out of my mouth; I had always been a lackadaisical drinker, preferring to take my time to drink a little rather than rush to drink a lot.

I was still facing the water when I opened my eyes and instantly wished that I'd kept them closed until I'd finished. My dense fur was cracked and broken by the scars that snaked across my face, like fissures breaking through dry earth. The old scars left the skin around my eyes and nose barren and empty before they disappeared into the overgrown fur of my cheeks, like morbid little crop circles burnt into my skin.

My ears were as scarred as my face and notched where the cartilage and muscle had been severed and had never managed to fuse back together. These were my most obvious scars but they were far from the only ones. My body was littered with bald flesh where scars held my fur at bay, though these were less defined due to the sheer length of my coat. My ruff was thick and long, almost like a lion's mane, and the fur behind it was equally thick although not as long. The thickness of my fur made the bare patches on my skin more noticeable but the majority of the scars were on my belly and so hidden by their position alone.

Far off screams crept into existence, I knew them to be imagined but that knowledge did not diminish the fear they evoked in me. My heart thudded in my chest and my blood surged in my ears. With limbs like jelly and joints like concrete, I was surprised that I hadn't fallen into a crumpled heap already. Waves of cold washed down my back, eliciting goose bumps and an uncomfortable clammy feeling all over my body.

After what felt like an hour of numb prickling, my skin exploded with the sensation of thousands of cuts splitting the surface. Invisibly teeth sunk into my muscles, hard and warm in comparison to the feel of their owner's soft but frozen tongues. Hands gripped so tight that their nails punctured skin and veins and pulled on my limbs to make my joints burn. Venom coursed through my body, stabbing at my heart from inside and biting at the weeping wounds, as they tried to heal with helpless futility.

The sickening smell of smouldering lolly-induced vomit wafted around me as the sound of tumbling buildings echoed through nonexistent streets. Trapped in the darkness of my mind, I couldn't see the destruction as it happened but I heard the screams and the creaks and breaks as houses and families were torn apart. The vibrations of sections of wall hitting manicured lawns and the roads of packed earth rattled my bones.

Finally my legs moved. I scurried backwards, losing my footing on the silty soil and toppling back over my haunches. My breath could not be controlled as I sat on the side of my hip, with my feet tangled in front of me and my head almost too heavy to hold up. I was blind to the world around me despite my sight being free of the nightmare. My paw ached with the memory of long healed injuries, as I lifted it to my face to try and scratch the stench of vampire from my nose.

But no matter how hard I scratched the scent was entrenched in my sensitive nostrils. It had weaselled its way out of the imaginary realm of my nightmare and into my current reality, where it had embedded itself like a bird nesting in a chimney. The smell was almost physically painful and the fear that it would reach that level had me scraping fur off my nose.

It wasn't possible for something fake to become so real, not unless I was going crazy. That wasn't so farfetched, after everything it would be just my luck that I'd drink from the one river in the world that had the power to send me to the loony bin. But I wouldn't resign myself to that irrational situation, if I were losing my mind then there would have been signs before now.

My hackles prickled as the familiar feeling of being watched rolled over me. The instinctive knowledge of being spied on had saved me from many tricky situations. From the attention of prey to the presence of humans, it was a vital piece of information that I relied upon on every day, thanks to my nomadic lifestyle. Life as a giant wolf might sound easy but it was more of a pain then most people would think.

The freedom was second to none but the persistent anxiety that I'd be spotted by a not so friendly human armed with a powerful shotgun was not something that you ever get used to. I could hunt down one tonne bison and defend myself from lion prides and grizzly bears, without fear of anything. But put me within a ten kilometres of a human settlement and I couldn't turn my senses off. Fear took a hold of me when humans were so near and the only way to alleviate it was to move as far away as possible.

As I sat there, allowing myself to adjust to my surroundings again, the feeling of being watched grew. My ears were pricked for the slightest sound, because my eyes were still unfocused and my nose was blocked by the horrendous smell. It wasn't an ideal situation, my hearing was far from impressive and my anxiety had me worried that I would miss some crucial sound. In fact, my senses in general were borderline useless on their own and I required all of them to feel safe.

There she was; perched high on the thin branches of a tall pine tree, staring down at me with unnaturally dark eyes. She was fairy-like in stature, with pale glittering skin. It didn't matter how sweet or innocent she looked, I knew that she was the biggest threat around. Her and her despicable thirst.

I growled up at her and she looked taken aback. When I was younger I would have backed away from her until I was a safe distance to turn around and run. But I was a mature Shifter, I knew my body and my limits better than any Shifter I'd met before and I was sure that I could take on this one tiny little Vein Junky.

The tree was old and behind the scent of leech was the subtle smell of rotten wood. Scuttling to my feet and tearing towards the pine tree, I splashed through the cold river in my head on assault. I hit the tree with so much force that it shook, tilted and creaked. The vampire was rattled by the attack and she slipped from her roost. I grinned as I watched her flustered attempt to climb back onto her branch and backed up to get another run at the tree.

This time when I impacted the old plant a resounding snap echoed around me and the tree started its slow decent to the forest floor. Desperation and panic washed over the monster's face and she rushed to adjust her position and save herself from the certain death that awaited her once she got within my reach. She sprung from the falling tree into its deep-rooted neighbour; I wasn't sure if she expected me to give up but if she did then she was sorely mistaken.

I followed her through the forest. My feet slipped and slid along the rock and needle strewn ground as I tried to keep up with the petite monster. She was unburdened by felled trees, loose rocks and slimy moss, and her agile movements pushed her further ahead of me. I'd never been fast and that was always a hindrance in catching these beasts.

But what I lacked in speed I made up for in combat skills. Unlike most Shifters, I didn't need numbers to take down a leech. My teeth were sharper. My body a bizarre combination of sturdy and sleek. My pain threshold higher than anyone else I'd ever known. I was built to have the shit beat out of me and still continue to fight back. And this minuscule leech was nothing compared to the monsters that I'd taken on in Brazil.

There was a chunk of fur missing from my tail as a reminder that one had come close to ending it all for me. But this leech was nowhere near as large or fearsome as the Brazilian beast. I knew it and she knew it, that was why she was running and not standing her ground. If she had the slightest ounce of faith in her physicality then she'd be trying to tear my throat out at this very moment.

I smelt the pack before I reached their border. It was a good sized pack for America, I guessed it to be about ten members strong and from the potency of their scents they were close to their boundary. I slowed down, staring into their land like there was an invisible fence holding me back. The vampire that I'd been following had entered their territory and I figured that that was my cue to leave it well enough alone.

Wolves were not tolerant of strangers. Lone wolves were often killed on sight and if not, they still never got the time to establish a place in the pack, I had never heard of an occasion when an adult wolf was accepted; either by wild wolves or by Shifters. I may have been going against nature by being on my own but I was not suicidal, so I would give this territory a wide berth.

As I stopped at the edge of their territory I saw the vampire slow down and drop from the treetops. She looked back at me, her eyes wide and apprehensive; she was still worried that I was going to attack her. I growled at her and she flinched away from me, even though there was a good hundred metres between us. She was safe from me within the territory of this pack but I wondered if she knew that she was running from one wolf straight into a group of them.

Two more vampires skidded to a stop in line with the tiny one. One was monstrous, with hard, dark features. While the other was tall and lanky with a mop of light brown hair, highlighted by a golden sheen. Of the three vampires two had the black eyes of hunger but the third, the light haired male, had disturbing gold eyes. I'd never seen such eyes on a vampire before and it had me worried about what he'd done to get them like that.

I heard them before I saw them; the wolf pack that had so heavily marked their territory. There were too many for me to differentiate between all their pounding feet and caution gripped me as fear blossomed in the back of my mind. These wolves would have a choice to make when they got here; who was the bigger threat between the three bloodsuckers or the lone Shifter? I hoped that they'd recognise that I wasn't encroaching on their land and would therefore focus on the threat that had no regard for their borders.

As it was, I was probably the most unlucky Shifter in the world. The pack of some seven wolves blew past the three vampires. It was almost as if they hadn't seen them at all and I wondered if one of the vampires had an ability to shield themselves from the prying eyes of their enemies. Not that that made much sense because I had spied the short one without much difficulty.

The wolves scrambled to a standstill at the very edge of their territory, their noses grazing the wall of smells as they fought the urge to cross over. They were a rather mismatched group of wolves, being mostly brown in colour but with some members varying to the lightest shade of grey. One of them, a large brunette beast stepped over the invisible line and I stepped back again. Fighting with myself to get away without looking like I was cowering from this pack.

I'd spent years avoiding other packs; this wouldn't be the first time that I had to tuck my tail and run in order to save my own skin. But I'd learnt long ago that there was a fine line between respectful caution and apparent weakness. And I did not want to look weak, because weak meant that there was a good chance they'd hunt me down, just because they could.

A deep American voice sounded in my head, 'Who are you? And what are you doing here?'

I didn't bother with an answer. I simply lowered my head, while maintaining eye contact, and backed away. Letting the fog and the shadows embrace me like a warm, comforting blanket. It would be a cold day in hell before I let myself get mixed up with another pack.

_**Author's Note:**_

_**So, I'm starting at a different point then last time but hopefully it works.**_

_**What do you think?**_


	3. Awkward

**Sam's POV**

I felt awkward.

I'd never liked the Cullens and it didn't feel like that would change any time soon. We were Shifters; our sole purposed was to keep vampires away from La Push. I disliked them on instinct alone and even after more than half a decade, I still struggled to get my head around how any of Jacob's pack could live so close to them. Jacob, I understood because I knew how strong imprinting was, but the others had no tie to the Cullens.

Seth had come to town this morning, looking flustered and a little fearful. He hadn't told us much because Jacob had ordered him to keep the details to a minimum. The complicated emotions on his face were enough to compel me to ignore the instinctive disdain and walk into the lion's den. Jacob wouldn't have sent Seth, and he sure as hell wouldn't be asking for us to come to him, unless it was serious.

Jacob always came to us because it was easier that way. The Cullens were a major deterrent to my pack and I. Just the thought of them being close to us made our skin crawl and many of the younger Shifters still couldn't be trusted around them. They wanted to be able to spend more time with the members of Jake's pack but it just wasn't possible when they always smelt of vampires.

I hated how complicated things were. It had been difficult when Jake was Beta of my pack but now it was worse. As much as I understood imprinting - I'd been at the centre of the most complicated love story in recent Quileute history because of it - I could not understand why he would imprint on a vampire hybrid. I would uphold the pack laws of protecting the imprintee but that did not mean that I would understand it.

Jared and I were making our way up the Cullens' driveway and we could hear them moving about inside. They moved too fast for us and even hearing their speed made us uncomfortable. I wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk away, the reek vampire was already getting at me and I wasn't even able to see any of them yet. They were too unnatural for me to ever feel comfortable around them, particularly when they started using their supernatural abilities.

The voices in the house were anxious, even more anxious than their movements were rushed. I could hear Jacob pacing and Seth was tapping his feet in an erratic pattern as he waited, I knew it was Seth because I remember Leah always complaining about how fidgety her brother was. Leah was in there, I could hear her mumbling to herself but for the most part her meek musings were drowned out by the vampire's inaudible grumblings.

I knocked on the door and Carlisle flashed into view behind the glass pane. He smiled at me and my stomach knotted. Not because I was being smiled at by a vampire but rather because the weak smile was forced. Carlisle and Esmé were the two happiest vampires you'd ever meet and to see either of them unable to give a genuine smile was bone chilling.

"Hello Sam. Jared. Please, come in." Carlisle kept trying to brighten his smile but the more he tried the worse he failed, "We're glad you came. It means a lot to us."

Carlisle led us down the main hallway, it was as pristine as ever and I couldn't help but feel that it was too perfect. No home ever looked as neat as this. The Cullens' house was like something out of a display village, not a home that a large family lived in. Then again the Cullens technically didn't live so it shouldn't surprise me that their 'home' looked as contrived as it did.

Everyone was gathered in the Cullens large lounge room. And by everyone, I meant everyone. Jake's pack, excluding Jake and Embry - who was thirty miles north-west of in Makah territory visiting family with his mother - was huddled around the south-west corner of the room, close to the back door. Jake himself was in the middle of the room, pacing in the same fashion that he had been for at least the last five minutes, and he didn't falter for a second when Jared and I entered. The entire Cullen family was scattered around the rest of the room, including Renesmée who was standing near Jake trying to stop his tight circling.

It took me a few moments to realise where the crux of the anxiety was located. Alice. She was sitting on an overstuffed armchair, with Jasper stroking her hair and whispering in her ear with a voice so soft that I couldn't make out a single word he said. Jake's pack and almost all of the Cullens were watching Alice as if she were about to explode. She must have seen something.

"Who died?" I wanted to make it sound like a joke but I had a sinking suspicion that Alice may well have had a vision about someone dying.

Alice looked up at me, with disturbing black eyes. I knew what that meant, Alice was hungry. It meant that she was a danger to every mammal within ten miles of here. My muscles tensed in anticipation of some sort of attack. If I couldn't trust vampires in general then I couldn't trust a hungry Cullen. She looked hurt by my actions but I didn't really care.

"We did." Emmett growled with his jaw clenched so tight that I thought it would shatter at any moment.

Edward sighed from his spot on the piano seat, "By 'we' he means he and Alice."

That didn't sound right to me. And even if it was, it had nothing to do with me or my pack. There had to be more to this, something that they had yet to tell us. It felt like the only one who was going to give me the necessary answer was Jake, although I knew it was more my bias than anything else. Jake seemed too pissed off to be able to answer anyone's verbal questions, let alone the curious look that I was giving him.

As expected it wasn't Jake that answered me. What wasn't expected was that the answer would come from Alice, "It's a Shifter... almost as big as you. He found me while I was hunting and wanted to kill me the second he saw me. If I had have run or if I attacked him, then he would have killed someone. If I attacked then he would tear me apart. If I tried to run then Emmett would get in the way and... all alone... there's a Shifter out there that can singlehandedly take out a vampire."

It seemed as though Alice couldn't quite believe her own vision. I was offended by her certainty that one on one she would be the victor between her and a Shifter but I was also shocked by the idea that a single Shifter could take out Emmett. I might not like vampires but I could accept when one was beyond the capabilities of a lone Shifter and that was Emmett. Emmett could take down the largest of bears without the slightest hesitation and I was sure that he could break every bone in my body before I got a single shot in.

It wasn't just confronting that one Shifter could kill Emmett, because even before push comes to shove I could witness Emmett's slaughter and not be all that upset by it. No, the bit that had me reeling was the knowledge that if this mystery Shifter could eliminate Emmett then he could eliminate just about anyone. This Shifter was a major threat to our people and we couldn't just let him wander around our territories unchecked.

"That's not the end of it." Jake said as he stopped pacing and looked up at Jared and I, "Alice can't track his future. And Edward can't read his mind."

I glanced from Jake to Alice and then to Edward. Alice looked more timid and tiny then she ever had before. I could feel Jasper using his powers to moderate the mood within the room and I was sure that he was doing it because Alice was in a fragile position. I wondered what it was like to witness your own death, I was sure that it wasn't pleasant.

Edward looked annoyed. He glared at Jacob and I got the feeling that Jake was paraphrasing the truth. I could never bring myself to side with Edward; it just felt as though he had been at the centre of every problem that had befallen us over the last decade. Maybe Jake hadn't been as precise with the truth as Edward wanted but I wasn't concerned with that.

The fact that Edward couldn't read this Shifter's mind was a concern though. Ninety-nine percent of the population were powerless against Edward's telepathy. This Shifter wasn't just lethal to vampires but he was immune to one of the Cullens' most powerful tools. Bella was the only one that had ever been able to block Edward out and that was as scary as the Shifter's lethality, the last thing we needed was another Isabella Swan bringing trouble to our doorstep.

"I never said that I couldn't read his mind; just that he doesn't think like a person." Edward growled.

Jared's curiosity spiked at this and his head cocked to the side, "What does that mean?"

Edward sighed and turned to the piano, his fingers flitted along the keys as he tried to find the right words. The soft notes were calming and maddening; this wasn't the time for a piano recital. We were faced with a very real threat and all Edward could do was play an instrument in a manner which was almost impossible to hear. I managed to control my annoyance for long enough for Edward to find the words he wanted.

"There weren't any words. Emotions and pictures. I don't know where he came from or what his name is. Hell, I'm not even sure that he has a human side. He may well have lived as his animal self for so long that that's all he is now." Edward couldn't bring himself to look at anyone; his eyes darted across the black and white keys as if chasing an imaginary answer.

Jared stepped forward and I realised that I was glad that I'd brought him. Before he'd first phased, Jared was a canine aficionado and his passion for that side of us had only made him even more knowledgeable on the subject. If anyone in North-west Washington knew about how dogs thought then it was Jared.

"Dogs live in the moment, they don't really think about the past or the future. If this Shifter has taken on canine properties then chances are he's not actually a threat. He's living off instinct. He saw you as a threat because he probably didn't realise that you weren't one..." Jared thought over his words for a second to make sure that they made sense. Once he was sure that they did, he turned to Alice, "Chances are that you can't see the future because this Shifter hasn't made any plans for the future. He'll be 'going with the flow'." He turned to Edward, "Dogs don't make things up, the pictures that you saw would be things that the Shifter witnessed. You might be able to use them to track where he was before he came here. Can you remember any of them?"

Every head in the room turned to Edward and this time he looked up. For a second his eyes looked hopeful but the glimmer was quickly replaced by a dull realisation. He let out a heavy sigh, "Not enough to get us answers. I saw red eyes. Vampires, lots of them. And Shifters, lots of them too. The only specific thing I got was a country. Australia. But there are some twenty-three million Australians and I'm not sure if he was born there, raised there or went on a holiday and just really liked it."

I was startled a little when Esmé jumped to her feet, "We can try at least. I mean, it's not like we have nothing at all. And there's no harm in trying." She ran from the room and both Jared and I shivered at the feeling of her darting past.

We waited in silence for several minutes. It didn't make sense but it seemed that nobody was willing to break the uncomfortable atmosphere that was settling around us. I for one did not have anything to say to the vampires around us and was in no way inclined to start a conversation with any of them. I was thankful for the information we were receiving but I wasn't sure if I'd ever be thankful enough to have a truly friendly conversation with any of them.

Without warning Esmé was back in her seat. She didn't look happy to be back here and I wondered whether it was the results of her research into 'Australia' or the fact that we were still standing there. She'd never seemed to have anything against us but it was hard to feel the way we did about someone without assuming that they felt the same way.

"I didn't find anything. A few articles about surprisingly strong men but nothing that really screamed Shifter." Esmé appeared depressed by the fact that she couldn't find anything, even though everyone was sure that she wouldn't be able to anyway.

Leah launched herself out of her chair and made her way to the back door. She paused with the door wide open and looked back over her shoulder at everyone, "You can sit here and bitch about not having enough information, I'm going to actually do something about it."

"What are you going to do?" Jake snarled as Leah went to step outside.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before turning back to her Alpha, "I'm going to go find this Shifter and get some answers."

"No!" Jake roared at her, "That's the stupidest thing you've ever suggested. If he can kill a vampire then what makes you think that he'd let you chase him down and live to talk about it?"

Leah's face had been soft and open but with Jake's words it hardened and a scowl settled itself onto her delicate features. This was how she always looked when she was pissed off. She hated being told what she should and shouldn't do and she loathed being referred to as stupid. Leah didn't do anything without giving it at least a little bit of thought before hand, she may be bitter and angry but she wasn't foolhardy.

"Jared said it himself, this Shifter saw Alice as a threat. I'll make sure that he knows I'm not a threat and then request a word with him. Who knows, maybe I'll try my hand at using my feminine wiles to entice some answers from him." Leah sneered and I knew that she was trying to rub Jake the wrong way. I could also tell that she was succeeding.

Jake went to grab her arm but Leah was out the door before he was halfway to her. His shoulders shook with his fury as he stormed the rest of the distance from the centre of the room to the door that Leah had just slammed behind her. He glanced over his shoulder at his pack and then to Jared and I.

The frustration was blatant on his face and in his tone, "We're going after her, you're welcome to come too otherwise it might be an idea to relay this information to your pack."

I didn't like that Jake was trying to tell me what to do. He may have been born to be an Alpha but I still had far more experience than him. Not only had I had to deal with having a 'true Alpha' as my Beta but I had to deal with Paul, whose remarkable improvements in self-control had inexplicably started to breakdown again. I'd also been the one to teach him what it was to be a Shifter when he'd first phased, as I'd done with every Shifter in the area.

It might have been in his blood to be on top but he'd need to learn so respect and discipline if he didn't want me knocking him down a few pegs.


	4. Invasion

I tried going west only to find myself faced with a vast expanse of slate grey ocean. So I turned around and went east, which lead me straight back to the territory of the wolf pack that had ignored the vampires. The idea of having to go south again made my stomach tighten. I'd just come from the south where a small pack of wolves had chased me for three straight hours to get me away from their Pack-lands.

It was strange, they chased me away and yet I harboured no ill will for them. If the situations were reversed then I would have done what they did. Nature was hard to suppress and the distrust we hold for everyone outside of our pack is the hardest thing to ignore. The lives of those you love are not things to risk for strangers. The pack to the south now knew who I was and what to look for. They would still be patrolling outside their usual border in order to make sure that I didn't double back.

South was the most hazardous direction for me to go, which had me cornered in this unfamiliar forest. I couldn't go north or east for the pack that had sided with vampires and I couldn't go south for fear of my life. The thought of swimming made my head ache; like my senses, my swimming ability left a lot to be desired. And quite frankly, if I never swam again it would be far too soon.

I was tracing the border of the leech lover territory, keeping my ears and eyes open for the sound of anyone approaching. There had to be a weakness somewhere along their border, a spot that they had neglected over the last few weeks, or even an area that they refused to claim as their own. I'd scale a mountain to get away from them without another confrontation.

My heart skipped a beat when the scent marks suddenly changed. In part from excitement and in part from confusion. The leech lover's territory had ended but another started up right where it did so. This was not the normal way that things worked. There were channels of unclaimed land between most neighbouring territories; they acted as buffer zones to stop territorial encroachment. I'd never come across two packs that literally shared a border, it seemed like a risky set up to me.

This new territory wasn't as heavily marked as the last one and the only vampires that I could smell were the ones from the leech lover territory. I stepped tentatively into the new pack's territory and found that there was no hint of vampire within these borders. Not only that but the wolves that marked this territory were either too lazy to mark this far down or as disgusted by the smell of bloodsuckers as I was and so avoided getting too close to the border.

Still, I was nervous about being within another pack's territory and so I made sure to move fast. The last thing I wanted to do was get caught snooping around someone else's land. I didn't want to get chased back into the little piece of limbo that the two packs had tried to trap me in. If I got chased back there then I would be in a lot of trouble. I didn't want to be stuck around here for any longer than I had to be.

My life was a succession of incredible bad luck. One after the other, event after miserable fucking event.

I smelt them moments before I saw them. They weren't particularly large but seeing as they were travelling in pairs I got the feeling that they were part of a much larger pack, even if their land wasn't marked as thoroughly as the last one. These two were young, they weren't immature but they were young and they were both brown, one an ashier brown then the other.

They froze when they saw me and I froze with them. Predators have a thing called prey drive, it's instinctive and triggered by movement. If I turned and ran then it could incite their prey drive and they might very well chase me. I didn't like being chased. It was not a comfortable feeling to know that your life depended upon how fast you could run, especially when you know you're not a fast runner.

After the couple of moments it took for them to realise what they were looking at, they dropped their heads, raised their lips and let low growls rumble from their throats. They weren't threatening me, not really. It was clear that they had no intention of attacking me, they just weren't sure how to process my presence. I wasn't sure why they found me so startling but it was better than having them aggravated by my appearance.

A loud howl ripped through the afternoon still and I knew what was being relayed. Someone was coming to help these two. They were gathering their defences and part of me was certain that once they had numbers they would turn defences into offences and tear me limb from limb. Panic embraced me, I did not want to die at the hands of these bizarre Shifters.

It took all my concentration to pull it off. It had been years since I'd done it and to begin with I was a little concerned that I'd forgotten how. But it took me less than half a second to go from four feet to two. In a strange way I was relieved to know that I still had a human side, it'd been so long that I thought maybe this part wasn't just forgotten but entirely gone. I loved being in wolf form but at heart I was still human.

The two Shifters stumbled backwards a few steps. I wasn't sure why they were so shocked but I felt the need to check myself to make sure that I had ended up in the right form. My body was that of a human; sure enough, I had two normal looking human legs, a flat human stomach, and a pair of hands with five long digits each. The only thing disturbing about my body was the extensive scarring that stood out like a sore thumb against my pale skin.

Six years as an anxious, nomadic wolf was had to shift. When I heard galloping paws to the north and east, I found myself stepping to the south. One of the two wolves that I could see stepped forward and I morphed without a second of thought. My wolf instincts were stronger and sharper than the human thoughts in my head and morphing was the safest instinctual response to the approaching danger. I made sure to hold my body low and tell them that I was not trying to threaten them.

A dark grey wolf burst out of the shades from the north. He was a more dominant wolf than the two that had found me and he didn't wait to display his displeasure at my presence. I watched in silence as he stood from his hunting crouch and brought his confidence to the surface. This was exactly the sort of wolf that I wanted to avoid, one that would as soon as attack me as look at me. He was around my height, although he was sleeker than I was. Not that that meant anything, thin muscles can be just as dangerous as bulky ones.

I would not fight this wolf unless my life depended on it. Running was a far better idea, looking weak would not even come into question. Better alive and weak then stupid and dead. I went through the mental checklist to make sure that I wasn't giving anyone the wrong idea. My body was low. My ears pressed back against my neck and I raised my lips to show my teeth, it may have sounded strange but this was how it was done. Active submission. It felt oh so very wrong to be submitting to this wolf but I'd work through it to save myself.

More wolves burst onto the scene and I stopped trying to submit to this sliver wolf. It was clear to me that he wasn't the most dominant wolf in the area and I wasn't going to put myself any lower than I had to. There were far more wolves then I expected and I guessed that the three packs must have joined forces. Why they would find me so dangerous as to require both packs was beyond me but I was not going to question anyone.

'Who are you?' Someone boomed in my head and I shivered at the sound.

I'd been yelled at by many Alphas before but it never got easier. To hear someone when they weren't making noise was hard to come to grips with when the someone was a family member or a friend but it was a million degrees worse when the someone was a stranger. I had no idea who had actually spoken so I didn't know who to respond to.

A massive black wolf stepped forward and every other wolf stared at him with submissive adoration. He was the Alpha. He was the one in my head. He was dangerous. I slunk back a few steps, being sure to keep my senses open for movement while my eyes remained glued to the large black Alpha.

'We mean you no harm. We just want to talk.'

His deep voice was grating as I felt it push against my mental barriers. As with morphing, it had been years since anyone other than myself had been in my head. I'd gotten emotions from strange Alphas but never words before. I wanted to block him out but knew that as long as I was this close to him and he wanted to talk to me, there was no ignoring him. At least I didn't have to respond; my solidarity meant that I was technically an Alpha and Alpha-Alpha communications were based on choice. And I did not choose to talk to this beast.

I continued to back up and the seventeen strong combined wolf pack watched me with hard stares. It wasn't until I was a good twenty foot away that anyone moved towards me. A slender grey wolf stepped forward, she was smaller than everyone else and her eyes were soft with concern. I didn't stick around to notice anything else about it. Any wolf coming towards me was a threat that I wanted to get away from.

But it didn't work the way I wanted it to because one of the pack was following me. I glanced over my shoulder to find a grey wolf was hot on my tail. For a second I thought it was the one that had threatened me before the black wolf appeared and it spurred me to move faster. With a second glance I realised my mistake, it was the small wolf and she was fast. Faster than any wolf I'd ever been chased by before.

This was really not the situation that I wanted to be in. I didn't know these lands like this wolf did and that made her an even greater danger than she would be otherwise. I might have size and weight but she had knowledge that I could not compete against. She dodged trees and jumped ridges with little to no thought, while I had to choose between focusing on my pursuer or my path. Naturally, I chose the latter but every now and then when I thought my path was clear, I let my ears flick back to listen to the small grey wolf.

She was gaining on me. Her strides were long and rapid and I knew that I was going to lose this race. Soon enough she would be able to reach my tail and it wouldn't be long after that when she would be able to get at my throat. It wouldn't be long before she'd be ahead of me and there were a million ways in which that was a bad thing.

No matter how hard I pushed myself she kept gaining. I wished that I was a better runner, that I was a hunter. It had been more than ten years since I'd participated in a group hunt, which would have tested and improved my speed against other Shifters. My old pack had banned me from participating in group hunts because I could not cooperate with the group. Well, it wasn't really that I couldn't cooperate with them so much as it was that they couldn't work with me so close to them.

Ahead of us the trees grouped together and I wasn't sure if I would be able to move between them. All I could think about was the game of Chicken. Who would stop first? Me or the slender little wolf behind me? Chances were that she could fit through the gaps and she knew it. But I hoped that she'd figure I couldn't and would pull back.

She did.

My eyes measured the gap in front of me and I knew that I couldn't fit. I wouldn't slow down though, because this was the only thing I could think of that would get me away from the grey bitch on my heels. Maybe I was blinded by panic or at least stupid with it, but I had a plan and I was going to stick to it. Stubborn was one of my strongest qualities and even the risk of broken bones was not enough to turn me away from a plan.

I turned. Just in time to not face-plant the stand of trees. My momentum forced my hind feet out from under me and my hip bounced on the forest floor before I was able to stop it. I ignored the tender stiffness that radiated from my hip as I quickly righted my back half and continued along the edge of the dense tree cluster. There was a gap coming up that I had a sneaking suspicion was big enough for me to fit between and as I darted to the side, through the gap, I heard a pained yelp and knew that the female Shifter behind me had missed the turn and hit a healthy young tree.

The stand of trees wasn't as thick in its core as it was at the edge and I was able to pick an easy path through the willowy plants. I wasn't sure what had happened but somehow the old trees in this area had been destroyed, up rooted from the ground and left lying around to decay. The path may have been easy to pick in regards to my width but my feet caught and slipped and I struggled to stay upright as I rushed over the graveyard of trees.

When I broke through into the open forest of much older trees, I was relieved to see that there wasn't another fallen tree in sight. My pace picked up and although I was far from fast, the speed that I gained was enough for me to know that I was safe. Even if they were able to follow my track through the floral graveyard, by the time they made it out the other side I would be long gone. And I'd never met anyone who could track me once they'd lost sight of me.

It didn't solve my problem though. I still had to make it out of the patch of no-man's-land before I was free of this threat. Wolves to the south, wolves to the north and wolves and vampires to the east. This was the worst position I'd been in, in a long while.


	5. Cornered

It was late evening and I was comfortably nestled in the same spot that I'd woken up in this morning. I liked this area because it was far enough away from all three wolf packs for me to let my guard down, somewhat. The sun was sinking into the horizon and turning the sky around it a warm orange. Above me the sky was still light blue but it was darkening with each passing minute.

I wriggled my body into the nook in the roots, feeling the firmness of the sprawling tree base like a comforting embrace. Spots like this were hard to find, as most roots were either too thin, too tightly knitted together or too sparse. It didn't help that I was the size of a horse and nowhere near as flexible as I wanted to be. If I were a cat then it wouldn't be a problem but my back was far too sturdy to allow for me to roll into a smaller ball then I was currently in.

There was a carcass a few hundred metres to the east; a large buck that I'd been able to bring down about an hour ago. As such, I was content and satiated. My stomach full and my muscles so exhausted that I doubted a forest fire would be encouragement enough to get me back on my feet. For the first time in a long time, I was able to fall asleep feeling as close to happy as a lone wolf can feel.

It wasn't that being alone made me inherently unhappy. No, I was quite content being by myself. But the sight of other packs always elicited an uncomfortable longing for the home that I'd left behind. Hearing their Alpha's American accent only made things worse because it reminded me that I wasn't even in my home country. Everything was so foreign around here and it disconnected me from the world around me. Even the buck had tasted off and my attack had been far from expert, and I've been hunting for myself for six years now, my style should be down pat and brilliant.

As I let sleep wash over me, I thought of what I would do once I made it past these four legged hindrances and their Vein Junky friends. The thought of that freedom was tantalisingly sweet. Roaming with no resistance was something that I'd come to love and I was giddy with the knowledge that soon enough I would be doing it again. I wasn't sure how but I would make my way through their land and head on to Canada. To my great annoyance that was not what I dreamt of, and my dream was far from the sweetness of roaming that I fell asleep to.

When unconsciousness claimed me, it decided to grace me with the presence of someone that I always tried to avoid the thought of. It had worked for years, avoiding him, but it seemed that I'd gone too long without the painful reminder of my past. I felt that morphing was to blame. The return to human form opened up parts of my psyche that I'd successfully closed and hidden away with years of animalistic survival.

He was standing in the midnight forest; bathed in dark shadows and yet more obvious to me than the nose of my face. I couldn't hold back the smile, I never realised how much I missed him until he was within sight. He was facing the west and had yet to see me as he mumbled to himself. Mumbling was his forte, he did it all the time and even to a Shifter his mumblings were indecipherable.

The heel of his large hand pressed against his temple for a few seconds before he ran his calloused fingers through his thick golden brown hair. As he did this I scrambled to my feet, my two human feet, and his eyes flashed towards me. His hand dropped from his head and he turned around. He beamed at me, his wide smile as genuine as ever and his grey eyes glistening in the moonlight.

I wanted to reach out and touch him. Feel the course stubble of his square jaw against my fingertips and hold his warm body close to me. He'd always been unbelievably handsome and more amazing was that he actually liked me. Our friendship had lasted well beyond the five days most people claimed to be my friend and it was nice to think that after half a decade it was still going strong.

He stepped forward and a shimmer engulfed his body. A second later he was replaced by a sooty tan dingo, with a short coat and wiry appearance. Amongst our pack he was always the thinnest and no matter what he tried he had never bulked up like the others. Even more amazing was that he kept his startling grey eyes which had frightened many of the local beasts when he first started morphing. The sheep had refused to go near him, whether in human or dingo form, and he lost his job because of it.

A loud crack sounded nearby and our heads snapped to the west. Far out over the horizon was a little red glow. Although small, we both knew what it was. I saw the shiver that rippled down Zak's umber coated spine and felt my own tingle uncomfortably. It didn't take long for Zak to take on a defensive stance as he battled an invisible enemy.

His muscles twitched where the unseen attacks landed. Something grabbed his front leg and tore it out from under him at such an angle that the resounding cracks made me want to vomit. In the darkness he was picked apart by hidden assailants and I was unable to help him. His unique fur started to change colours as streaks of black blossomed along his side and his deep yelps echoed around me.

Within moments his entire coat was drenched black with blood and he was starting to succumb to the exhaustion that comes with blood loss. He stumbled as he tried to move away from the assault and away from me. I wanted to help him but I couldn't see what was attacking him. His massive form crashed to the ground and I saw the sleek fur of his neck condense.

Something was gripping just behind his skull, pressing in with such force that it was blocking his windpipe. Zak choked to try and breath but the harder he tried the more exhausted he became, and soon he was unable to do anything at all. The third and most horrendous crack sounded and Zak's body went limp in the hands of his invisible assailant.

The world was silent around me. There was no red light on the horizon. The forest around us shimmered and fell away. All that was left was the lifeless body of my old friend. A spotlight shone on him and I could see the crimson wetness of his fur darkening as it cooled. His eerie grey eyes stared blindly into the abyss to the west, as his muscles relaxed and allowed his deathly pale tongue to loll out of his mouth.

I slumped to the ground. Dream or no dream this was not something that I wanted to see. This was more than half the reason why I was doing what I was doing. Why I was travelling alone through unfamiliar lands. To get away from everything relating to that pack.

It felt like hours of sitting in the presence of my friend's carcass before the black void started to turn orange. I felt a giant weight lift from my chest and my heart beat fasten as I realised what it meant. Soon enough unconsciousness would have no claim over me and I could ignore that any of this had ever happened. I'd reconstruct the cages that morphing had destroyed and I would go back to pretending that I was nothing more than a wanderer with no desire to settle down.

But I couldn't possibly be that fortunate.

As my senses came back to me, they relayed some disturbing news. My little slice of comfort and safety was not as safe as I'd thought it was. There were wolves nearby. I could hear them shuffling slowly along the damp forest floor, their noses working overtime as they hunted for something. For a second I feared that that something was me, but no one had ever picked up my scent before so I doubted that someone would now. Then again, I was just unlucky enough that that might happen.

I was mindful of how obvious sudden movements were as I opened one eye to spy the approaching wolves. The morning was clear and the sun had just peeked over the horizon, casting glorious gold light between the trees. The light would have blinded me were it not for the trees that blocked all the direct rays. It wasn't possible to make out which wolves were moving through the trees although I was able to pick up their movements as the sun threw their shadows further now than at any other time of day.

There were two wolves. One was following the other and I got the feeling that the one leading was not happy about it. The front half of the black silhouette of the small wolf froze for a second, the wolves hind quarters were hidden by the shadow of a sturdy pine tree. The second wolf pulled up just short of the tree and was substantially larger than the first. I wondered why the little one was leading the way, seeing how size generally corresponded to rank meaning that the little one should have been the subordinate one.

The sound of irritated growls echoed amongst the trees and it was clear that neither wolf wanted to be here. After a few tense moments and a rather aggravated snarl, the small wolf turned on the larger one. Lunging at the burly wolf behind it, the little one snapped her jaws at her companion's throat. Even from a distance I could tell that the small wolf did not mean to cause any harm, just to scare the other one away.

It worked. The larger wolf snorted at the little one as he turned away. I couldn't read their minds but I didn't need to. The small one was trying to do something and the larger one was imposing. It seemed that the larger one was not particularly interested in pursuing the matter and thought that the small wolf was either wasting time or acting like an idiot. Wolves read body language and to be even part wolf was to be a professional at reading gestures and actions.

I expected the little wolf to keep heading south but it didn't. She didn't. It was the grey female that had followed me yesterday. And somehow she seemed to know exactly how to find me because she was headed in my direction. There was no way that she could know I was here, because she wasn't tracking anything. She held her head up, her eyes alert for movement but not searching. Her nose was pointed ahead of her, almost motionless; she gave the scents she was catching no heed.

She found me. I could tell by the way she jumped and stared at the roots that I was nestled amongst. How she had done it I had no idea but now that she had found me, and I had no clue what to do next. She'd found me once, chances are she would somehow find me again, so there was no point running. I considered the potential of talking to her and getting a pardon to cross their land.

My muscles were stiff from sleep and I took my time stretching them out, while keeping a close eye on this little wolf. Years of nomadic wandering had left me with a severe distrust in just about everyone and this Shifter was no exception. Just because she was female didn't mean that she wasn't as big of a threat as every other Shifter around here, and she was probably more of a threat than others that I'd met because she'd found me. She'd tracked me down when no one else could.

Once on my feet, my persistent pursuer stepped back. Concern flicked across her face and I could just about read her thoughts. She hadn't realised how much larger than her I really was but now that we were metres away from one another, and seeing how she had no one around to back her up, my size was even more imposing than before. I got the feeling that for a few seconds this little wolf was worried that she'd made a bad decision.

After a couple of silent, motionless moments the air around the little grey wolf started to shimmer, and a short while after that her furry body was replaced with the sleek body of a human. She was tall for a woman but not for a Shifter. Her ebony hair was cut short and gave her otherwise beautiful features a hard edge. She reminded me of my sister because she was stunning without having to try.

I watched her from the safety of my wolf form. Taking on my human form was not an enticing action because I was afraid that the transformation would bring back even more of the things that I was trying to hide away. The two minutes I spent in human form yesterday had unleashed more than I imagined it would and it was likely this young woman would want to remain in human form for even longer than that.

"Would you mind phasing for me? So that we can talk." her tone was a bizarre mix of hard and vulnerable. I couldn't help but cock my head at the sound of it, "I have some questions to ask you. Questions that the others can't answer."

She looked desperate. My heart softened a little, not enough for me to give in to her but enough for me to be tempted. I'd never spoken to another female Shifter before and I was curious as to how different it would be to male Shifters. It sounded stupid but I'd always felt a little on the outer when it came to being part of a pack. There were so many males and I was the only girl, if I'd been less of a tomboy I was pretty sure it would have driven me mad.

"My name is Leah, I live just to the east of here. With the vampires _but_..." she added because I pulled away from her at the mention of vampires, "I've spoken with my Alpha and he's promised that they'll stay away. Please, you have no idea how much it would mean to me. If you'd be so nice as to phase, I can get you whatever you want. Clothes. Shelter. Answer a couple of questions and we'll give you whatever you want."

I thought about her proposition. There was no questioning what I wanted, safe passage through their territory. But the idea of being within vampire territory was spine tingling, in the absolute worst way. I didn't trust vampires, not as far as a human could throw them. As much as I despised them, how could I turn down a way out of the trap I had myself caught in.

With the greatest of care and the slowest of motions, I bowed my head to Leah. I didn't quite feel comfortable morphing here and now but I figured that Leah would lead me somewhere, at least a little bit safe. And until I was certain that I was safe, wherever she was taking me, only then would I morph.


	6. Anger

Leah morphed back into her petite wolf form and led me towards her territory. Just past her packs scent marks was ring of pungent vampire stench, if intruders weren't perturbed by Shifters than the presence of vampires would make them think twice. There were few, if any, creatures that weren't afraid of at least one of the supernatural species.

Not far beyond the smell of vampire was a small clearing. A collection of huts took up the entire clearing, like something from a fairytale. There were four in total and they were all tiny, I couldn't see them being more than three rooms each. But for a Shifter they were more than adequate.

If these Shifters were anything like the ones that I grew up with, they didn't want or need big elaborate dwellings. The wolf in us made us crave the outdoors. We hated confinement, even if it was the four walls of our home. It was a disdain for confinement which had me standing outside the collection of shacks, waiting for Leah to return with some clothes for me to wear.

I couldn't quite remember how tall I was in human form but I had to assume I was still around six foot. Life as a wolf meant that I no longer thought in terms of exact figures. I guessed that Leah was around six foot too, although she could be inches taller or shorter. Chances were shorter because of how small her wolf was.

She'd only just disappeared behind one of the huts when two men strode from where I'd last seen her. They were both Shifters, I could tell by their height and their muscle. One was gawky and weedlike; the other was relatively short and heavy set. It was hard to explain but I knew who the stocky one was, he was the wolf that had followed Leah not too long ago. He smirked at me and I stepped away.

"Who would have known that Leah would actually succeed?" the stocky man laughed as he stopped and leant against the wall of the shack closest to me.

The other man gave the stocky one an irritated glance before flashing me a concerned grin. He hadn't said anything to me but already I liked this lanky Shifter. In comparison to his arrogant companion, this one was sweet. Although I was more than a little annoyed by the pity in his eyes. I didn't need his compassion or understanding, I just needed him and his buddies to let me keep heading north.

When he spoke, his tone was as soft as his visage, "Alice, for one."

The stocky one snorted and rolled his eyes, "Unlike you, I'm not so willing to believe everything that comes out of the bloodsucker's mouth."

So they were even more associated with the vampires than I thought. It was one thing to share land with them but it was another thing altogether to be friends with one, or in this case an entire clan. I stepped back again, wondering if this was really where I wanted to be. If I couldn't trust vampires than how could I trust Shifters who went against their nature to be friends with them?

My ears swivelled around involuntarily as they picked up the faint sounds of rushing feet. Again, I stepped back, edging closer to the forest. I turned towards the noise and tried to repress the growl that rumbled in my throat. The gurgle of a growl slipped through and in my periphery I saw the two male Shifters tense up.

Cloth tore in front of me and I glanced at the two Shifters within my sight to find them both in wolf form. The stocky chocolate one was trying to stare me down, although it was evident that he was far from an Alpha. The weedy one was a dark sandy coloured wolf, smaller than the chocolate one but as thin as his human form. His eyes glanced between me and the forest to the west and the field to the east.

The racing slowed as Leah darted past the two Shifters, a pile of cloth folded in her arms. She looked as panicked as the gangly wolf. She gestured to pass the clothes to me, "It's okay, it's just Sam's pack. The vampires will stay away, Jake promised they would."

I figured that this Jake was her Alpha but I did not have the same faith in him that he would stick to his word. In fact, I was pretty sure that he would have vampires stationed around us, keeping an eye on me. It's what I would do if I were an Alpha and could somehow tolerate the presence of vampires. Actually, it wasn't what I would do. I'd never associate myself with those crimes against nature.

A wolf pack walked into the clearing from the forest to the west. At their head was the large black wolf that had tried to question me yesterday. He was as intimidating as ever, although I'd never let him know that I felt that way.

One of the good things about being an 'Alpha' was that he could only hear what I wanted him to hear, so I could easily fool him into thinking I was more confident than I was. I wasn't really an Alpha, but I was the leader of my pack. Then again I was the only member of my pack, so if I was anything less than Alpha it would be more than a little weird.

His deep voice rang between my ears and I couldn't help but feel violated by it. He was forcing his way into my head and I really didn't like it, 'Who are you?'

I stared at him. Just because he wanted an answer, didn't mean that I was going to give him one. He was not my Alpha, so I would tell him what I wanted, when I wanted to. Right now, I didn't want to talk to him at all. Not when he was intruding into my thoughts; I was so grateful that I could choose not to talk back.

A couple of wolves were approaching from the east and I stepped back to make sure that I could look at everyone without having to look away from anyone else. It meant that I had to move back quite a ways because there were a lot of them. At least ten in the black wolf's pack, plus the two Shifters and Leah in front of me, and now the pair of wolves approaching from the east. The numbers were starting to mount and I couldn't help but feel that I had just walked into a trap.

Three wolves and two humans- no, two vampires, made their way to the clearing. The Vampires and two of the wolves stopped several metres from me, while the last wolf, the russet one, dashed behind the house and emerged moments later wearing pants and pulling a t-shirt over his.

"My name is Jacob Black. This is my territory that you are on at the moment, and the vampires behind me are Carlisle and Esme Cullen, this is their territory as well. This is Sam Uley." He gestured to the black wolf, "Would you care to take your human form and talk to us?" The human form of the russet wolf said as he stood proudly before the vampires.

The large black wolf stood in a relaxed position with his tail raised high and wagging slowly, the soft brown wolf that stood just behind the black one, seemed to be even more relaxed than his apparent Alpha. All the wolves sniffed the air, trying to assess my scent without appearing too forward.

Leah stepped closer and I backed away, causing her to frown, "I just wanted to hand you the clothes. You can take them behi-" Leah stopped short as I jumped back and swung my head to look over my shoulder.

I could hear the approach of more individuals from behind the vampires and werewolves. In a desperate attempt to keep my eyes on everyone I found myself sulking backwards towards the south, and spinning around to make sure I eyed everyone at least once every few seconds.

"Stop!" I heard the vampire's yell, holding their hands out towards the approaching group. The group slowed, mainly because they were already close enough for me to smell them and I knew undeniably that they were vampires too.

"Please, take the clothes. Stop this madness." Leah urged.

Someone yelled, "Leah! Stop!"

But the warning came too late. Leah took an ill advised step forward. The next thing I knew she had dropped her bundle and was scurrying away from me. I had felt the supple flesh try to resist the force for a fraction of a second before the pressure tore through her skin. There was the slightest of jolts, as the bones followed in the skin's example and gave way. At the same time the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.

I had bitten her.

Both packs pressed in on me. Teeth bared and hackles raised. They may not have wanted me dead when they first met me but they sure as hell did now. Their growls melded together like I was suddenly faced with a busy highway of angry wolves. I stumbled backwards as they started a slow march forward.

A dark grey wolf surged forward. I didn't get a chance to truly register which one it was. He was one of their larger wolves and in a moment I knew enough about him to guarantee a victory. He was angry. And anger was dangerous, especially when fighting someone you've never gone up against before. How could he possibly expect to counter what I could throw, when he didn't know how hard my throw was? He was angry and he was foolish.

He tried, by gosh did he try. And he was quite powerful, but in terms of fighting he was surprisingly inexperienced. He seemed to be a very straight forward individual and didn't even attempt to disguise his attacks. Every bite he aimed, I was able to avoid, although he was just fast enough to throw me off my game a couple of times.

Still, I dodged his attacks. I refused to launch my own because I was still hopeful that I could somehow get out of this. That would not be possible if I was responsible for the injuring of two of their wolves. As long as I was defending myself they couldn't blame me for any fuckups that this grey wolf found himself in. But he wasn't the first to fuckup.

I was. I felt his jaw clamp down around my tail and agonising pain washed up my spine. The yelp that escaped me was entirely involuntary and I cursed myself for sounding so weak. In order to make up for it, I allowed myself to go on the offensive. If he was going to make me bleed then I was going to make him bleed.

His inexperience showed through when I finally decided to defend myself. It took me a few moments to get him on his back and just a few more to have caught some of his neck between my teeth to tear at the skin. The beauty of the neck was that there was excess skin, meaning I could hurt him without risking his life.

The black wolf lunged at me, snapping his large jaws at my neck and face as he reared onto his hind legs. I turned from the pinned wolf and focused my attention on the impressive black Alpha. I was marginally shorter than him, but despite having similar heights he was stronger than me. As he bit at the ruff of my neck, trying to get to the skin, I turned my shoulders downward so that the bulk of his mass started flying over my slight frame. Without letting my back touch the ground, I jerked my head towards his neck, sinking my teeth into the loose skin of his neck. My sharp teeth held tight as he cried and tried to pull away from me.

I felt the stabbing pain of teeth hacking into the thin layer of flesh on my hind legs and heard a bone snap with the force. More and more teeth joined them as numerous wolves clamped their jaws onto whatever part of my body they could get a grip on. I whimpered and growled as I tried desperately to get away from them.

"Stop!" someone yelled and slowly but surely the wolves let go and backed away.

At least that's what I thought they did. When I was finally released by all but one, a large grey wolf, this one I was able to fight off alone, I noticed that it was the vampires that had pulled the wolves off me. I scrambled to my feet to start a desperate retreat but my attempt was thwarted by a pull on my tail and I turned around to see the thick set black haired vampire holding me still. I whipped around to threaten him but he seemed unfazed by it.

I growled at the vampire, and swore at him, 'Dirty neck biter. If I ever get you alone I swear to God that I'll rip that meaty head of yours clean off your oversized shoulders.' I knew he couldn't read my thoughts but it seemed to help me feel better.

As my swearing alleviated some of my stress I found myself noticing the situation around me and the wolves were silent. They stared at me in astonishment, as did one of the vampires. I was now trapped inside two circles, one of wolves and one of vampires. Again, this was not where I wanted to be.

The black wolf and the russet wolf stepped forward from the ring of vampires. They were panting heavily and the black one had blood dripping from his nose. I licked my lips and chewed at the air, tasting the blood that clung to my fur and dripped from my teeth. One tooth was loose and bleeding heavily, it was a canine and I was sure that everyone saw the crimson fluid run down its length and soak into the short fur of my muzzle. I felt bad but I was thankful that everyone else looked just as shitty.

A sharp sting reminded me that there was a vampire holding my tail and bile rose in my throat. The thought that one of them was touching me made me sick to my stomach. My skin started to twitch and I let my disgust drive my attack. It wasn't the wisest move but finally luck was on my side. The vampire was either stupid or not paying attention and I was able to clamp my jaws around his hard shoulder. The feel of his flesh against my hot tongue made me shiver.

He released my tail and dashed away from me, so fast that I lost sight of him for a second. I hated that part of vampirism, their ability to move past what normal living creatures could see was plain wrong. When he stopped he doubled over and pawed at his shoulder. Hunting wasn't the only fun thing that you could do with a vampire, cracking their hard flesh was almost just as good.

'I think you should phase.' one of the Alphas behind me growled. The other one agreed with him, even though he wasn't saying anything. I turned to look at the two Alphas and the russet one stepped forward, 'Because we need to talk. Properly.'


End file.
